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Stock cubes
LeifUK
Posts: 573
Can anyone recommend decent stock cubes? I checked the big names such as Knorr and Oxo in Waitrose, and they are full of carp i.e. sugar, fat and salt, with very little actual stock e.g. 4% veggies 
. Why spend money on salt and sugar? I hate sugar in food nayway. The best seem to be Kallo with minimal sugar and salt and 24% veggies. (I only use veggie cubes.)
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Posts
I use the Marigold Swiss Vegetable Bouillon powder ( it's ok for vegans and there's a reduced salt version which is great). It's in a tub which means you can use as much or as little as you like - I'm also on a Food Forum and it's the stock powder of choice for most of us. No preservatives, colouring, artificial flavourings or GMs.
When I was on a low carb diet a teaspoonful in a mug of hot water was a sustaining snack (or even a lunch).
Highly recommended and available in most supermarkets.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Why spend money on stock cubes at all? An onion,some herbs and more or less salt according to preference does the job
In the sticks near Peterborough
Kallo Organic. Waitrose. They also do a low salt version. Or Marigold, as Dove says.
Thanks all. Kallo is my preferred choice. The Marigold looks decent, hadn't thought of using it as a 'cup a soup' mix, that is a good idea. I am unimpressed by most cup a soup, full of sugar and carp.
nutcutlet: most of my meals start with sweating down some onion, sometimes with celery, beetroot and other veg, but I find that a stock cube diluted to half strength adds more depth.
Incidentally, I do recommend Kikkoman Soya Sauce, a naturally brewed mushroom stock, which I use in most dishes, much to the disgust of purists I bet. Don't confuse it with the nasty non brewed soya sauces.
I would have thought with your basic veg start you had all the proper food ingredients and plenty of flavour. Anything else, the fat and sugar. hydrolised this and that, is junk. something we've got used to but don't miss once you leave it out
In the sticks near Peterborough
Yes, that stuff is junk, which is why I avoid most stock cubes. I eat very little processed food, and when I do eat it, I find it too salty and yuck.
The Kallo cubes are quite decent. Marrigold looks okay too.
If you look at most recipes for dishes such as soup, from well respected writers, you see they include stock. I find a decent stock improves the flavour. (Real soya sauce does too, but I can't add much as it's salty.) I guess it is personal preference.
I love the wee stories on the Kallo packets.
Kallo is probably the healthiest, but I've been reading that salt and saturated fat are not so bad for you. Such is research I take food related health advice with, errr, a pinch of salt.
Probably akin to brewed soya sauce, both have umami ie. the savoury taste.
Some what baffled, all my left over veg goes into a pan with a pack of bacon bits and simmers (you can leave out the bacon) cooled drained then put in small containers there is always stock for soups mince or what ever, never tried it in rice pudding yet.
As a lad no fridges or freezers we used lots of salt to dry cure bacon pork ham, mother bottled made chutney and jam even preserving eggs ( hens awkward things that they are laid in season) They stock pot ran all week, who needed cubes.
Frank.